Memories of a Dream(Catcher)
by Mint18
Summary: Since Emma made the decision to save Killian and allow the Darkness to take him, she has been struggling in vain to get him back. As Emma begins to fear he may never return her, he leaves her note asking her to meet him, will she finally be able to break the Darkness' hold on him and bring him home or does the Darkness inside him have other ideas?


**Hey guys, i'm baaaack! Been awhile, writer's block is gonna kill me one of these days... Enjoy! xx**

Emma, dazed and confused, walked up the stairs to the door of the house that should have held her happy ending, blinking back tears as she entered the house. Killian. She's hardly seen him since his memories were restored but his words have stuck with her. _Nothing but an orphan._ So she's surprised to find a note waiting for her on the table in the entrance hall.

All it says is:

 _Swan,_

 _We need to talk._

 _K._

A set of instructions on how to find him is set out on the back.

Hope Emma doesn't want to feel surges through her veins. He wants to talk to her, perhaps this time she can get through to him, perhaps the darkness' hold on him is starting to fade. Even just a little would be enough for her to get through and talk to the man she loves and ask him to help her. Together they are strong enough to defeat the darkness, she knows they are or perhaps she's just spent too much time around her mother. Either way, they have to try.

Emma closes her eye and allows the darkness to sweep her away to him. As the red smoke dissipates she looks around her searching desperately for a sign of the man she loves. She stands on the edge of the lake and she watches as a boat appears out of the mist, gliding silently and smoothly atop the water towards her.

He doesn't look any different. The same leathers, the same hook, the same slightly smudged eyeliner, but Emma knows by now that looks can be deceiving, hell she's pulled that trick herself, both with magic and without it more times than she can count. He says nothing as the little row boat glides to a stop and he climbs out to meet her. He simply looks at her and even his eyes once so full of warmth and love, give away nothing.

'Emma.' His voice trembles slightly and curse every god who ever lived because he's breaking her heart. There is so much pain in that simple word, so much suffering and why did she ever think it was a good idea to do this to him?! Would it have been better to have him gone forever than having the darkness mocking her through his eyes? Using his voice?

'Look at me.'

She can't. She absolutely cannot give into that voice. The darkness still inside her stirs, taunting her but she already knows that she won't find the man she loves standing in front of her if she looks up. The darkness loves its games and the pieces still piercing her heart are more than enough to give this one away.

He huffs and Emma knows that if that were her pirate he'd be sulking adorably right now but it isn't. And the monster in front of her may have his habits but he doesn't have his heart.

'Since you seem so unwilling to play Swan, I suppose I should explain how this works. I talk, you listen. Sound simple enough?'

She nods her head to show she's listening but fixes her gaze determinedly on the leaf litter surrounding his feet. Briefly she wonders whether she could fell him with it, a swift kick with her magic might just be enough to make him slip and she could have him out cold before he hit the ground-

But that's the darkness talking. And as surely as the idea has occurred to her…

'Ah ah ah love, no magic is allowed in our game, it's the rules.' And before she can react he has slipped forward and cuffed her with that accursed piece of leather they had used on Zelena.

'Now where was I? Oh yes, now the darkness and I have a bit of plan see, I still need that revenge you briefly distracted me from…'

She isn't listening, not that he's noticed. But that's not the only thing he hasn't noticed, see his good hand, it's now tracing gently on his thigh.

Love hearts.

His hand without the hook, is tracing love hearts on his inner thigh.

And in that moment Emma isn't sure whether she wants to kiss him or kill him. Because whatever part of Killian that still remains, has clearly noticed her gaze on his thigh and has started drawing something much more crude instead.

That's when she realises that he's stopped talking. Whatever 'plans' he and the darkness had forgotten.

'Emma.'

This time she does kiss him because she knows that tone, so full of love, so sweet and he tastes just the same as he always did. 'Emma please love, I haven't got much time, he's planning something more, I've been trying to tell you but he keeps…'

Suddenly he breaks off. He doubles over as if in pain and when he straightens up any hint of light that is left has disappeared again completely. Their short moment together over before it's even begun.

'Oh Swan, that lapdog of yours really is so pathetic trying to spoil all my fun. But still he's clever, oh so clever. He's given you all the pieces you need love, you just need to put them together.' He frowns slightly as if surprised by what he's saying. But the frown vanishes as quickly as it appeared and the smug grin is back. 'If you can't guess his game Swan I guess you could say you're in for quite the… hellish experience.' He laughs darkly, words dripping with eager anticipation.

She directs her gaze to the ground again ignoring his taunting, reminding herself that it isn't him, it isn't him. _It isn't him._

He huffs again, frustrated when he realises she's not going to reply. And she smiles slightly at ground for not giving him the satisfaction of seeing how much he's hurting her right now.

'Time's up then dearie.' There is a hint of sadness and frustration in his voice as if he's trying to get through to her. Like she's a child who isn't understanding the rules of the game.

Though his face crumbles, Killian's hand and hook remain steady as he pulls out a dreamcatcher, sweeping his hand in one grand gesture to activate it and trap Emma at the same time.

Tears run unchecked down his face but his movements never cease.

'I'm so sorry Swan,' he says with a huge effort, 'I can't control it.' She feels a distinct tug and a pull against her forehead as memories of their encounter begin to swirl away from her, sucked towards his dreamcatcher like water down a plug hole.

He makes a grab for her with one hand as his hook sucks away at the last of her memories, 'Swan I tried I really did, I tried to fight, I tried to help… to tell you what he's going… to…do.' She can't look at him any longer the second he retracts the dreamcatcher the encounter will be gone from her mind completely. He tried to do what?

And then he is gone completely from her mind as she is catapulted magically back to her front door.

Emma blinks slowly, dazed and confused as she makes her way up the front stairs of the house that should hold her happy ending.

Killian. Gods she misses him. She hasn't seen him for ages.

Killian sits waiting on the edge of the clearing for her to appear again, the darkness at bay slightly as it digests its latest bout of fun. The boat is tied up at the dock behind him, ready to go when she appears once more. One of these times, one of these goddamn times, he's going to find a way to help her.

 **As always if you liked the work, please leave a review/favourite/follow so I know! Same goes if you think there's some stuff I should work on. Love you all, thanks for reading! xx**


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